By andrew hamilton (BonaireTalker - Post #27) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 5:04 am: |
Just back from second trip - flying from London choice is limited so had to choose KLM again.
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By Wally and Eva (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #534) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 7:42 pm: |
You obviously have never flown American Airlines
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By seb schulherr (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1682) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 8:21 pm: |
Andrew, can you not take Air Jamaica?
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By Belinda Z (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #192) on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 9:48 am: |
Ain't that the truth Wally!
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By andrew hamilton (BonaireTalker - Post #30) on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 2:18 pm: |
Seb - thanks for the input; you mean fly Air Jamaica to Kingston from London and then change to do the last hop? Have you ever done it that way? Thanks for suggestion will check.
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By Brigitte Kley - Coco Palm Garden (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #155) on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 6:24 pm: |
Air Jamaica flys Heathrow to Montego Bay ..
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By seb schulherr (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1683) on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 7:12 pm: |
I've never flown it andrew, I just was aware it was one of their routes. Sometimes the upper class on Air Jamaica is not a whole lot more than coach, I don't know how long a flight it would be for you, seems worth a look though.
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By seb schulherr (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1684) on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 8:06 pm: |
I would check through the Air jamaica website, it looks as if a lot of their service is KLM codeshare, but some flights are AJ
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By Brigitte Kley - Coco Palm Garden (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #156) on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 10:53 pm: |
Sorry, I forgot to mention it ... no code share .. when you look up Bonaire-London on the Air Jamaica web site, only KLM flights Amsterdam Bonaire show up with the connection to London... you have to look up the London - Montego Bay leg and than the leg Montego Bay - Bonaire . It is one of these times you better use a (Air Jamaica) travel agent ....
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By Israel A. Sanchez (BonaireTalker - Post #64) on Sunday, September 19, 2004 - 1:52 pm: |
As much I'm reluctant to it, I'd have to say that Air Jamaica provides the "Best" service to Bonaire, and it is not because the airline is that good, is just because the other serving airlines are THAT bad. Air Jamaica has one of the WORST boarding systems (alright, start boarding... Calling rows? Nah! That's too orderly, we need chaos!) I wish Continental flew there. Oh well! On their defense though, I'd have to say the Air Jamaica ranks high as far as airline food goes. Coach Izzy
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By andrew hamilton (BonaireTalker - Post #33) on Sunday, September 19, 2004 - 4:39 pm: |
Izzy - KLM do exactly the same; OK everyone ready? Right on you go.......and the devil take the hindmost. Total chaos - and thats not great when its 11.45pm at Schipol.
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By Daniel Senie (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #335) on Sunday, September 19, 2004 - 11:08 pm: |
AJ calls their service "Lovebird" service. Guess that's because you're going to be REALLY cozy with your surrounding passengers. I don't know if they set a record for most passenger seats in an A320, but they certainly have them packed in.
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By andrew hamilton (BonaireTalker - Post #34) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 2:41 am: |
I'm afraid my wife and I regard US immigration as the lowest of the low - the majority of 'developing' countries I visit do it far better and with at least some courtesy. We wont now fly via the US to avoid contact with them - because 2 years ago the US immigration etc managed to turn a 2.30hour change over from Cozamel to Europe into a seconds to go dash to get the connection. Rude, ignorant and jobsworth - there are often letters of complaint in the UK travel press of folk being mucked around and I know of others who avoid flying via the US on this basis (and before anyone says, yes I know there is heightened security etc etc, but there are ways of doing things etc)
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By Karin van Veen (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1536) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 6:23 am: |
Completely agree with you, Andrew! It was our first time in the US, this year, boy where they rude! Our trip back home was very exciting, we flew from Miami, via St. Maarten and Curacao back to Amsterdam (yes, it was a little long, but saved us 400 Euro per person, this way!)
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By andrew hamilton (BonaireTalker - Post #35) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 6:42 am: |
Yes Karin - we were given the most extensive check I have ever received on arrival at Schipol - body search, X-ray cheque on hand luggage, sniffer dogs etc - I was told this was being done because of on-going problems with drug mules on the flite from Bonaire and Latin America. It was all done in a very professional and courteous manner, and it was all done quickly, with a large number of available customs men etc. No problem whatever. I dont know why the US authorities cant get this right, it just serves to antagonise foreigners (and the US needs all the friends it can get right now)
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By Kelly Lott (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1763) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 10:12 am: |
American Airlines staff, just as a generalization, are not very friendly. I saw a flight attendant being extremely argumentative to an older lady traveling alone, and it was very inappropriate. Alternatively, when we went to Vegas on Southwest, the airline flight crew were the Comedy Central of the Sky. We laughed our butts off at their antics, it was great. Only problem was no assigned seats, which I truly do not undertstand. Of course, I was with Steve though, so people move outta his way! LOL!
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By andrew hamilton (BonaireTalker - Post #36) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 10:26 am: |
It seems with some airlines that particular crews are particularly good or particularly rude. As the cabin crew work as a team I guess the tone by which they deal with us is set by whoever is the chief that day. I have had/seen rude service at various times from most of the big airlines (British Airways/ KLM/Iberia/ most of the US ones) on any given day. As a generalisation we have experienced better service from the airlines serving the Far East/Oceania rather than the European/US ones. Certainly I think overall flight staff are less pleasant than they used to be - they may claim thats because the customers they deal with our less pleasant (air rage etc) but for me thats no excuse.
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By Kelly Lott (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1768) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 10:53 am: |
Andrew, our Southwest flight to Las Vegas started with "there might be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 6 ways to exit this aircraft." And ended with, "if there is anything we can do to make your flight more enjoyable, please keep it to yourself". LOL In between was even a little bit of stand-up comedy, we were dying laughing.
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By John Stigaard (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #337) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 11:03 pm: |
The best airline I flew in recent years was TAM in Brazil. Great service and when you board the pilot is there to greet you.
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By Daniel Senie (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #336) on Friday, September 24, 2004 - 4:36 am: |
American Airlines ground crews tend to be pretty rude with regularity. The exception is the staff in the Admirals Clubs.
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By Brian (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #671) on Saturday, September 25, 2004 - 2:36 am: |
Andrew
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By andrew hamilton (BonaireTalker - Post #37) on Sunday, September 26, 2004 - 4:18 am: |
I'm not sure I go with the language explanation. On the flight to Bonaire absolutely no attempt was made in either English or Spanish (nor Dutch as far as I could tell) to tell people to board by seat rows. Nor were there announcements about letting on young kids/the infirm on either. I have been on many flights were the majority getting on are not speakers of the carriers language (ie BA to Colombia, Alitalia to Italy) and it all comes down to whether the ground crew are prepared to make the announcements and police the line.
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By Peter Cabus (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #291) on Sunday, September 26, 2004 - 10:21 pm: |
I'm not sure what went wrong on your flight Andrew. My wife and me did around 40 flights with KLM, and all flights leaving from major airports were boarded by row calling. And they normally start with the children, business class, elite members and then by rows.
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By Brian (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #674) on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 4:20 pm: |
We left Amsterdam on the 23:35 flight to BON this Saturday and they called to allow children on first. Then they allowed the business class & Gold/Platinum Elite passengers to board.
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By andrew hamilton (BonaireTalker - Post #40) on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - 5:01 pm: |
Well you folks were lucky then - or we were unlucky!
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By Brigitte Kley - Coco Palm Garden (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #160) on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 8:20 am: |
To follow up on Karin v. Veen comment
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By Karin van Veen (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1546) on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 9:21 am: |
wow, thank you for this link, Brigitte. Well, I can imagine that tourism to the US is down, our experience with customs surely coloured my view about the US.
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By Andrea & Dave Bartlett (BonaireTalker - Post #13) on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 12:57 pm: |
Please don't paint us all bad. We have lots of nice people in the USA. With the terrorist attacks and the war in Iraq people here are afraid. Not a good way to live. Try to overlook our faults and come and enjoy the USA.
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By Anil Namboodiripad (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Sunday, March 13, 2005 - 6:25 pm: |
KLM - A Case Study in Poor Customer Service.
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